Social Media Detox
For the past week I've been social media free. No posting or scrolling, even though I still worked on my business. Taking time off has had some positives and negatives but I truly feel the good have outweighed the bad. If you're curious to know what it's like to be social media free, keep on reading. I'll post the pros and cons below and you can decide if it's worth it or not.
THE PROS
At first the process was incredibly difficult, it was almost like withdrawal symptoms, wanting to know what other people were up to. Within a couple days the withdrawals faded and there was a burst of creative energy. I painted more seascapes, my confidence grew and I began planning ahead for 2018.
Instead of keeping up with what everybody else was doing I was able to focus on the things that matter most, like my husband and pup Dax. I even carved out quiet time for myself, hello Epsom salt baths!
THE CONS
Besides withdrawal symptoms, I truly missed some of my friends on Instagram. I missed reading the true and authentic posts and I definitely missed seeing some bright and uplifting pieces of art.
Upon returning to social media I realized how much I disliked Facebook. Awhile back I was going to delete it but never did. I created a separate account for my business page and knew that the time would be coming to let Facebook go. Today was that day. Even though it can be looked upon as a con, I'm looking at is a Pro.
Facebook has been nothing but draining, uninspiring and honestly a huge time sucker. For me it was time to close that chapter and just focus on the areas that are blossoming or inspirational.
As for Instagram, the cons of returning were lower engagements on new posts. I'm also dreading getting back into the routine of daily posting because I don't want to fall into the trap of constantly checking my phone for updates, emails or comments. (To help with this, I turn off ALL notifications and try my best to only check in a couple times throughout the day.)
Overall, I love taking breaks from Social Media. When the time comes to hop back on, I have a clearer understanding of who I am, what I'm pursuing and can filter out what matters and what doesn't.
What do you think, do you ever take social media breaks? Leave me a comment below, I'd love to know your thoughts on this.